The Red Cross Barge

lf. In his black-and-silver mourning vestments the parish priest of Valoise looked an imposing, as well as a reverent, figure. Behind him were eight little boys in black cassocks, each of whom in

men the majority of whom each held a child by the hand-the Herr Doktor suddenly saw something which m

oden packing-case on which some well-meaning hand had drawn, in

eshift coffin of

e and, yes, of na?ve surprise, he realised how barbarous, how lamentab

nts of the dead man. Suddenly the cart stopped, and out of the crowd there came forward eight very old men. Stooping down till their knees almost touched the

ing with it the slipping of the awkward burden from some heaving shoulder, and at last the strain on his ner

uttered exclamations of relief: '?a y est!' 'Enfin!' 'Oh, là, là!' wh

But no one glanced his way, or seemed conscious of his alien presence, and with aching heart he

rden now better adjusted to their frail shoulde

ce looked as though it were of wax; alone her b

e clearly. And when the rude case which served as her father's coffin had been placed on the trestles standing ready for it, the hard waxen look left her face, a long quivering

ow it, she saw him, this German man, Max Keller, who loved her, as if for the first tim

, this new, this inconceivably outrageous humiliation! But very soon the deep colour receded, leaving her pale as she had been red, and it was with a composed countenance and

then, in startled surprise, she paused, for all at once there rose above the silent crowd,

t that instinctively he made a movement as if to throw himself on the ground. But he restrained the impulse. And as Jeanne Rouannès waited uncertai

d on the light wind, and the Herr Doktor, glancing round, saw

called out in a loud voice. 'Do not be frightened, my children. G

g as they ran. Alone among the women there Jeanne Rouannès remained quietly standing in front of her father's bier. As for the old pries

f and looked at the other quickly, furtively, to see if what he had se

and men. The long sinuous coil was slow moving, yet there was an air of haste and of disorder about it. With an uneasy sense of surprise and discomfort

he dark, thick line halted, broke, and swerved; it was clear that in a

he said, and there was a note of deep sadness in his voice. 'They are in great fo

t. The other's tone, at once commanding and appealing, irritated him. 'With every consider

Monsieur le Médecin, to make a special effort to protect that poor girl, and I appeal to you to tell me now, at once, if she will be safer with you or

pearance, of Monsieur le Curé when they had first met on that August day, nearly three weeks ago, when the Uhlans had taken peaceful possession of Valoise! Then there had b

ice-'What is it you advise? What do you believe will be best for the protection of Mademoiselle Rouannès? I beg of you to t

fectly safe! Of her to ask that she should her Red Cross dress again put on, that could I not on the day of her father's funeral do. Indeed, there is no reason why

riest understood it well enough to be filled w

, 'how the Prussians have been behaving since they began to

g heard!' he exclaimed. 'You forget that I the last few days constantly with Dr. Rouannès have been. Why did you me unknowing leave of what y

or's mind had rushed back to many apparently in

had been an incessant coming and going of peasant women pouring into Valoise from the surrounding country. He also remembered now that a group of girls, crying bitterly, had come to s

ng patient's daughter, to give any thought at all to what was going on in Valoi

attles, in which your armies have been turned back-back from the very gates of P

s possible that some trifling portion of the victorious German hosts had been caught at a disadvantage-not likely to be

uttering, almost in his ear, speaking so fast and so

ago, I arranged to send most of the young girls away from Valoise. They had to go walking, poor lambs of the Lord. We sent them through the woods,'-he waved his arm vaguely towards the further side of the cemetery-'where our own soldiers are said to be. It was but a measure of precaution, and one urged on me-I will do him that justice-by the Mayor. He a

in France: 'Your Mayor, and you yourself, Monsieur le Curé, judge Germa

on and disaster, and this time the Herr Doktor rushing forward, called out lo

y penetrated their brains. Again the noisesome missile struck the further wall of the cemetery, and this time a hug

Mademoiselle Rouannès shrank back,

tood. With an awkward movement he took hold of her arm, and, unresisting, she allowed herself t